Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

LOL - oh how we laughed out loud.

At last, a book we all agreed on, a laugh out loud, very funny read. All the better because not one of us expected an Evelyn Waugh book to be so hilarious, we were expecting a 'classic' of a more 'classic' kind.

Having not expected the story to unfold in the manner that it did meant the beginning was a little confusing but as the scene began to unfold it became clear that this book was confusion personified. That was one of the points. 

There were many points made by the author about foreign correspondence (as Sue Roberts, informed us in her very own scoop) Waugh had been one himself (for the Daily Mail) working in (among other places) Ethiopia and Jacksonville (in Scoop) is based on Addis Ababa.

For a book based in a far gone time (written in 1938) many of the tales and experiences shared were equally applicable to current times and press behaviour. Indeed the scramble for 'news' and a scoop today is only altered by the technology available to do whatever it takes to get it and get it reported first.

That said, the issues raised are a great snapshot of the time - declining Aristocracy, rise of Capitalism, Fascism, Bureaucracy gone mad, the rise of the servant classes, Germany and Russia. 

The little 'asides' throughout the book are wonderful and keep the humour flowing.

Of the characters we loved Mr Baldwin (and his Cuthbert), were thoroughly entertained by the crazy Mrs Stitch, were appalled by Lord Copper, disliked Katchen and felt very sorry for Salter (although all came good for him in the end). William was the most surprising character of all and can only be described as an assertive push over.

The cleft stick left us confused - apparently all: A cleft stick was a piece of wood with a 'Y' shaped end into which a message, or later a piece of newspaper copy, could be inserted for ease of carrying by a messenger. When Lord Copper suggests that Boot should take some cleft sticks with him to Abyssinia, he is implying that his correspondent might encounter some problems. Whether such implements were in reality still in use at the time of his Abyssinian adventure, who knows?

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 10th July at 8.15 when we will discuss When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman.  

Our Book Choices for May/June 2012

Next Meeting: On Tuesday 8th May, 8.15pm we will meet to discuss Scoop by Evelyn Waugh.

Next Book: The following books are our choices for the group 'read' during May and June:

When God was a Rabbit – Sarah Winman

Young Elly's world is shaped by those who inhabit it: her loving but maddeningly distractible parents; a best friend who smells of chips and knows exotic words like 'slag'; an ageing fop who tap dances his way into her home, a Shirley Basse impersonator who trails close behind; lastly, of course, a rabbit called God. In a childhood peppered with moments both ordinary and extraordinary, Elly's one constant is her brother Joe. Twenty years on, Elly and Joe are fully grown and as close as they ever were. Until, that is, one bright morning and a single, earth-shattering event that threatens to destroy their bond for ever. Spanning four decades and moving between suburban Essex, the wild coast of Cornwall and the streets of New York, this is a story about childhood, eccentricity, the darker side of love and sex, the pull and power of family ties, loss and life. More than anything, it's a story about love in all its forms.

Before I go to Sleep – SJ Watson 

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle- aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories. But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, which directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities—tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life—and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory? Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more un-believable it seems.

The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton

Why was a four-year-old girl apparently abandoned by her parents in 1913 and left alone on a ship bound from London to Australia?

To answer that question, Morton constructs a generation-spanning chronicle of three women. First is a Victorian fairy tale author named Eliza Makepeace. The second thread is Nell Andrews, the perplexing abandoned child who sets out to solve the conundrum of her true origins. Strand three is Cassandra, Nell’s granddaughter, who in turn goes to England to play detective.

If it’s atmospheric entertainment you want, this is a knockout. Morton, like her heroine Eliza, has the storyteller’s touch. Filled with romance, tragedy and luscious period detail, the novel would make a rip-roaring mini-series.